TY - JOUR
T1 - Detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the pharynx and saliva
T2 - Implications for gonorrhoea transmission
AU - Chow, Eric P F
AU - Lee, David
AU - Tabrizi, Sepehr N
AU - Phillips, Samuel
AU - Snow, Anthony
AU - Cook, Stuart
AU - Howden, Benjamin P
AU - Petalotis, Irene
AU - Bradshaw, Catriona S
AU - Chen, Marcus Y
AU - Fairley, Christopher K
PY - 2016/8/1
Y1 - 2016/8/1
N2 - Objectives: This study aimed to determine the proportion of untreated pharyngeal swabs or saliva samples positive by culture or nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for Neisseria gonorrhoeae up to 14 days after an initial culture-positive pharyngeal swab.
Methods: Men who have sex with men who tested positive for pharyngeal gonorrhoea at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) and returned to MSHC for treatment within 14 days between 13 October 2014 and 25 March 2015 were included in this study. Pharyngeal swabs and saliva samples were collected for culture and NAAT.
Results: Of 33 initially culture-positive pharyngeal swabs, 32 saliva samples and 31 pharyngeal swabs were positive by NAAT and 14 pharyngeal and 6 saliva samples were positive by culture within 14 days. There was a significant decline in the proportion of repeated pharyngeal culture samples positive by culture over time (p<0.001).
Conclusions: The rapid decline suggests pharyngeal gonorrhoea is short-lived, and the finding of gonorrhoea commonly in the saliva implicates this body fluid in its transmission without direct throat inoculation.
AB - Objectives: This study aimed to determine the proportion of untreated pharyngeal swabs or saliva samples positive by culture or nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for Neisseria gonorrhoeae up to 14 days after an initial culture-positive pharyngeal swab.
Methods: Men who have sex with men who tested positive for pharyngeal gonorrhoea at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) and returned to MSHC for treatment within 14 days between 13 October 2014 and 25 March 2015 were included in this study. Pharyngeal swabs and saliva samples were collected for culture and NAAT.
Results: Of 33 initially culture-positive pharyngeal swabs, 32 saliva samples and 31 pharyngeal swabs were positive by NAAT and 14 pharyngeal and 6 saliva samples were positive by culture within 14 days. There was a significant decline in the proportion of repeated pharyngeal culture samples positive by culture over time (p<0.001).
Conclusions: The rapid decline suggests pharyngeal gonorrhoea is short-lived, and the finding of gonorrhoea commonly in the saliva implicates this body fluid in its transmission without direct throat inoculation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84954305916&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/sextrans-2015-052399
DO - 10.1136/sextrans-2015-052399
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84954305916
SN - 1368-4973
VL - 92
SP - 347
EP - 349
JO - Sexually Transmitted Infections
JF - Sexually Transmitted Infections
IS - 5
ER -
